Flesh-and-blood Murasingh shows he's as impressive as his numbers

Going through Ranji Trophy scorecards can be exhausting. Especially if you've to look up the performances of players and teams you almost never get to watch. It can become an endless scroll of numbers next to names. This is why selectors and talent scouts often seek out match referees for detailed reviews of certain players on their radar.

If you're from Tripura, a team that has won a grand sum of nine Ranji Trophy games since it came into existence in 1985-86, you can pass under the radar more easily than most. But those who have pored over scorecards involving the team will be familiar with Manisankar Murasingh - Tripura's highest wicket-taker and run-getter in first-class cricket.

Murasingh, 30, like hundreds of others from the region, grind it out in anonymity, often in sub-par facilities. Adding to their woes is the weather in India's Northeast, where it can rain non-stop for days together between June and October, a time when players would love to be tuning up for the season. That Murasingh has managed to hold it together for 14 seasons now speaks volumes of his resolve and skill.

On Wednesday in Alur, I got to watch Murasingh in action for the first time, after years of seeing his name next to impressive numbers on scorecard after scorecard.

Several questions gnaw at you at the top of his mark. How quick is he? What's his action like? Is he a swing bowler or seam bowler? Is he skiddy? Can he hustle the batters? Over two sessions, blurry ideas formed through the perusal of all those scorecards come into focus, and you begin to see a picture of Murasingh the bowler.

Murasingh bowls in the high 130s (kph), or so it seems. He bustles in gun-barrel straight, gets into his delivery stride with a small jump, and transfers his momentum into a smooth release and follow-through. He doesn't swing the ball big. Or he didn't, in his 20 overs on Wednesday. Instead, he relies on minute deviation off the deck. This is a skill he has learned over all his years in domestic cricket.

Murasingh's 5 for 42, his 13th five-for in first-class cricket, was one of the highlights of the opening day of the 2023 Duleep Trophy, which ushered in India's new domestic season. In nondescript Alur, Murasingh quietly delivered as East Zone shot Central Zone out for 182 before they ended the day 32 for 2.

Murasingh's wickets came in the classic modes: nicked off, caught and lbw. The one that gave him most satisfaction was his first, of the opener Vivek Singh, beating the batter with seam movement, getting the ball to nip away past his outside edge and hit off stump. It's a delivery fast bowlers dream of. While whatever he did after that may not have matched the thrill of that wicket, his intensity hardly dropped. After the spell, he spoke of how he has kept himself match-ready through the off-season.

"Unlike earlier, where I'd trial with IPL teams and get rejected for some reason after just one or two match simulations, I decided I had to train and play more in the summers," Murasingh said. "Since 2015-16, I kept getting a few chances, but I didn't go. After Covid, in 2021, I've been playing in the Minor Counties in England. In fact, until June 24, I was playing for Philadelphia Cricket Club in the Northeast Premier League in Durham. Bowling those long spells have been beneficial."

Murasingh doesn't worry about the opportunities that haven't come is way. He's grateful for what he's had. "Opportunities like these are gold dust for someone from the far east," he says. "I don't want to trade this experience for anything. I get that satisfaction from knowing many people from Tripura look up to me for inspiration."

Last September, when Murasingh was named in the India A squad for the one-dayers against New Zealand A at home, he was given a rousing reception by the Tripura chief minister, and hailed as a hero. "It's very motivating, I look at it as reward for the hard work," he says. "It's been tough, but you can't play for so many years without being dedicated."

Murasingh is a big fan of Yuvraj Singh, one of the reasons why he wanted to become an allrounder. His seam bowling is his biggest asset, but his explosive lower-order game has brought him 3308 first-class runs at an average of 26.67, with four centuries and 14 half-centuries. He has a T20 strike rate of 133.95. Shouldn't he be a valuable proposition then?

"I've never understood how all of it works," he says. "I trialled with Mumbai Indians in 2019. This year, I went to trials organised by Gujarat Titans. It's hard for me to see what traits they pick. If they gave me match-time, then I'd be in a better position to assess my shortcomings. But I've started putting a lot of work in during the off-season. Now, England stints have helped. Otherwise, I just do gym and running in the off-season. Club cricket has now started developing so there are chances to play. So that has made a bit of a difference. Otherwise, I play a bit of football."

Beyond the fun and games, Murasingh's immediate goal is to bowl East Zone to the title. Then he's hoping to be picked for the 50-overs Deodhar Trophy. "I'm due to fly back to England in early August to finish my commitments. I have six more games to play. Hopefully I can go there after Deodhar and come back for the [rest] of our domestic season with enough overs."